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Willys Jeep

Willys MB Jeep

Modeled after the Willys MB U.S. Army Jeep deployed in 1941, the TM092 Jeep saw its first action in the mid-1950s. They were coupled with a driver, anti-tank gun and soldiers then bagged with a header card. An aqua blue version of the driver (from the same mold) was sometimes substituted for the green version. The rare Air Force driver would also be used as a substitute in several of the bagged sets. The jeep was later available in the Army Action Playsets as well. First edition jeeps had a separate steering wheel and rubber wheels on two styles of metal axles (one with straight cut ends, the other with truncated cone shaped ends). An embossed star and circle adorned the hood and was often covered with a star sticker. The jeep (and anti-tank gun) are the only vehicles marked with the Tim-Mee brand name.

Colors would vary over the years. First editions were olive drab with a smooth matte finish. Olive drab would be replaced by slight variations of the typical army green. Darker shades would prevail during the last decade or so of the production run. Othercolors of the later version included a aqua blue version that was used in the #198 Air Force bagged set, an aqua green version used briefly in the U.S. Army Headquarters bagged set, a red and a white version used in the People Play Figures bagged sets and a yellow version.

In later years there were numerous alterations made to the Jeep. The most notable being the omission of the separate steering wheel. This was replaced with a simpler version that was molded directly into the jeep, thereby saving on materials and manufacturing costs. Suspension alterations included the replacement of the rubber wheels with plastic wheels that would go through several alterations as well over the years (figure 1). In addition, the rear axle clips were moved further apart by a ½ inch (figure 2) to match the space between the front clips and therefore allowed the same size axle to be used in both locations. Pegs were also added along the front clips, apparently for added rigidity. Cosmetic alterations included the deletion of the embossed star and circle on the hood - later replaced with white star stickers. And finally, the rear hitch was replaced with a slotted bracket that would accept the new hook on the updated field cannon. This configuration made for a more secure connection between the Jeep and gun. It should be noted that some Jeeps left the factory with a serial number sticker placed on the back of the vehicle in the upper left-hand corner